


Promises of Tomorrow

by Lyradaisical



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Marinette is stressed, Trauma, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25564843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyradaisical/pseuds/Lyradaisical
Summary: She knew that Chat Noir's role was to be her shield. That didn't mean she had to be okay with it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 15
Kudos: 213





	1. Chapter One

Ladybug always hated the times when her Lucky Charm made no sense to her. She stared at the mirror in her hands, clenched tightly and trembling.

'Come on, think!' she mentally yelled at herself. Her adrenaline was pumping but her mind was a muddled mess. 

"Ladybug, watch out!" 

Before she could take heed of the warning, she had the wind knocked out of her when Chat Noir tackled her, putting himself between her and the akuma's attack.

She barely registered her own voice leaving her throat as she yelled his name. There was no response from him and his body was deadweight above hers. She shook him gently, trying to rouse him but to no avail. Her hand felt slick against his body and when she raised it up to look at it, she could see the slight sheen of blood, despite the redness blending in with her suit. Her chest burned, partly from anger and partly from the bile that threatened to rise to her throat.

He was always doing this, protecting her without any care for his own well-being. Placing him gently on the ground, she stood and looked towards the akuma resolutely. She reassured him that soon, everything would be all right.

When she returned to him after defeating the akuma, he grinned cheekily at her, sitting where she’d left him. But she could see it on his face, the memories of the injury that would now be nothing more than phantom pains. His body may have been cured but his mind would always remember. He stood and raised his fist towards her, waiting for her to return their usual gesture whenever an akuma was defeated. She stepped forward, ignoring the raised arm, and rested her head against his shoulder, much to his confusion.

On a fundamental level, she understood that his role was to be her shield— that no matter what happened, she had to stay safe in order to use her powers to cleanse and cure. But knowing that didn’t make it any better. She was tired of seeing his life thrown away before her very eyes, over and over. 

“Ladybug, your earrings. You have to go.” His voice sounded like a distant hum to her. People began to crowd around them, wondering what was going on. But she couldn’t muster the mental strength to care. 

With less than a minute on her timer, Chat Noir grabbed his baton, pulled her close and vaulted off into the sky before her transformation could unravel in front of all the prying eyes. Ladybug stayed silent the whole time and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

He squinted slightly when the bright pink light of her detransformation appeared and his heart thudded loudly in his ears. He made the decision not to look at who she was, but the flowing white fabric and the signature pink purse that appeared in his line of sight was more than enough to identify her. The memory of her from earlier that day flashed in his mind.

“Marinette?” He said cautiously. She didn’t reply. 

By the time he landed on her balcony, night had settled in. Marinette released her grip on him and stepped back. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying throughout their trip to her home. She looked at him and gave him a slight smile.

“Can you stay for a bit?” She asked quietly. 

“Of course.” His reply was immediate. He wasn’t sure what was wrong but if she needed him, then he’d gladly stay by her side.

They sat down next to each other, leaning against the back wall, where her lounge chair was usually positioned. If the night wasn’t enough, the shade above them would help obscure them from any prying eyes. They chatted idly about any and everything. Marinette looked tired, as if all the stress from being Ladybug just reached a peak. Despite being so adamant about following the rules and keeping identities secret, she decided that she was done with it all.

“You know me? As a civilian?” She glanced over to him with a mild look of surprise on her face. He leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed, enjoying the warm summer breeze. A hum of confirmation passed through his lips as they curved up into a smile.

“Want to guess who I am?”

Marinette faced forward again and raised a hand to her chin in thought. He bit back a laugh at her expression.

“Plagg. Claws in.” He suddenly said, startling her.

Her heart sped up as the light died down. She slowly glanced over, nervousness coursing through every fiber of her being. When the complete sight of Chat Noir’s civilian self entered her vision, she felt like her heart had stopped.

“Hey.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her reaction wasn't what he expected.

Marinette stared at Adrien with wide eyes. His nervous smile jump-started her heart, the rapid pounding making her feel ill. The events from their battle earlier flashed in her mind, but this time, it was Adrien who had shielded her—Adrien's blood that was smeared across her hand.

She heaved, her empty stomach offering nothing but a burning in her throat. Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder in worry but hesitated to offer any more comfort. Her reaction to his identity was far from positive and he didn't want to overstep. He felt her tremble underneath his fingertips and soon noticed the tears falling from her eyes. Her name was on the tip of his tongue when she leaned in and grasped his shirt tightly. He embraced her as she cried. 

When she finally calmed down, she mumbled an apology. She pulled back and returned to leaning against the wall. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground and Adrien shifted uncomfortably in his spot. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, a drastic change from their light-hearted conversations from just minutes ago. 

“I guess it’s pretty disappointing to find out it’s just me parading around as a superhero.” Adrien chuckled in attempts to hide the fact that her reaction stung. It was always easy to default to self-deprecating jokes. 

When he had found out her identity just a few hours prior, he felt a distinct sense of awe. It just felt right that Marinette was Ladybug, and he couldn’t help but think ‘Ah, that makes sense.’ Because Marinette was a spectacular girl out of the costume. She was brave, smart, and kind— qualities that mirrored Ladybug.

He wondered if the same could be said for him. Was Adrien Agreste worthy of being Chat Noir? 

“Please value yourself more.” Her quiet voice interrupted his train of thought. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were pulled down into a frown. “You’re important to me, both as Adrien and as Chat Noir. So please stop throwing your life away so easily. I can’t— I can’t keep doing this.” 

Guilt bubbled up in his gut as he finally understood why she was so distraught. He had always assumed that it would be okay to carelessly throw his own well-being aside as long as it gave her more of a chance to succeed. He never imagined what it would be like to be the one left behind, to be the one to have to fix everything, to be the one constantly seeing their partner fall. 

“I-I’m sorry.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. It was painful just imagining what it would be like if their roles were reversed. He would have broken far sooner than her. 

“No... I get it. I get it— I just…” Marinette sighed, pulling her knees back towards her and plopping her head down on them. She didn’t mean to make him feel guilty. It was also her shortcomings that sometimes put him in harm’s way.

“Do you want to stop?” He asked. Marinette picked her head up and looked at him in question. “Being Ladybug, I mean.”

“No.” She said simply. “I’m glad to do it. If I can keep everyone safe, then I’m satisfied.”

“You’re admirable. Unlike me.” He chuckled. “Becoming Chat Noir… I always saw it as a ticket to freedom. Being able to save people was just a side perk.” He somehow felt insignificant sitting next to someone so good and wholesome. 

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.” She followed up, surprising him with her words. “Whatever reason you have for being Chat Noir doesn’t change the fact that you’re still willing to go out there to keep Paris safe.” 

A fuzzy warmth spread throughout his chest at her validation. He thanked her, his heart swelling with adoration and awe. But at the same time, he felt a keen sense of sadness. Because here she was, hurting so badly, yet she still found it imperative to make sure that he was okay. He had only meant to praise her, but somehow it always came back to his own insecurities. He really was no good.

“I’m sorry again, for being so thoughtless. I swear I’ll do better. It’s getting late, so I should go and let you get some rest.” He said and stood in his spot. He hadn't realized how long they'd been sitting there until his legs thanked him for being stretched out.

“Yeah. You get some rest too.” She replied and followed suit.

“Good night.” He gave her a reassuring smile. 

“Good night.” She waved.

Adrien turned away from her and a small black cat appeared beside him, exasperation written all over its face. He began to walk towards the railing, getting ready to tell Plagg to transform him, when Marinette stepped forward and grabbed his shirt. He turned to her questioningly to see a panicked look on her face. As if not realizing what she did, her panic morphed into surprise and her grip slackened. She withdrew her hand, clutching it in front of her. She averted her eyes in embarrassment.

“Marinette?” His worried voice beckoned her to look his way. She looked up at him, eyes pleading.

“Stay with me?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say live your life like it's your last day.

Marinette woke to a slight breeze grazing her face and she sleepily wondered if she left her hatch open. She blearily opened her eyes, blinking slowly to adjust her vision. When her eyes were finally able to focus, all she could see ahead of her was white.

“You’re finally awake.” His hand reached out towards her, clawed finger skimming under her chin. She could only stare wide-eyed in shock as his normally black-clad body was swathed in white and his once gentle green eyes were now a piercing and icy blue.

"Chat," She uttered, fear-stricken. "Why…?

"I promised you that I'd do better, didn't I?" The smile on his face looked so twisted to her. "Chat Noir was weak. He couldn't protect you. All he did was make you cry. But now is different. Like this, you'll never have to worry." 

Marinette shook her head in disbelief. He seemed to be confused by her reaction. He wanted her to be happy, but her expression showed otherwise.

"This isn't what I wanted." She eked out as she tried to hold back her tears. But despite her best efforts, the water brimmed at the edge of her eyes and began to spill over upon her cheeks. Chat recoiled from the tears as if it caused him physical pain. The frustration and hurt was clearly etched on his face.

"Then what did you want?” He asked almost bitterly.

She instinctively backed away from him, despite something behind her preventing her from doing so. Her foot slipped downward, throwing her sense balance off and her body fell forward. Her eyes immediately took notice of the cityscape beneath her and she gripped the beam under her tightly to steady herself. Her heart raced as she finally took in her surroundings. She looked down to see her leg dangling, the height making her feel dizzy without the security of having her yoyo. It looked like he had brought her to a construction site— or perhaps a ruined building. Everything looked cold, grey and lifeless.

“I’ll get rid of whatever makes you sad. So tell me, what do I have to destroy to make you smile?”

“Chat, you need to be purified. Then we can talk, okay? Tikki? Tikki!" She called frantically, but there was no response. 

“Is it me?” He asked.

"No! That's not it!" She felt suffocated, her insides twisting into knots. She knew that she had to pull herself together. She needed to find Tikki so that she could fix everything. But she remained frozen to her spot. Her breath hitched in her throat when his hand brushed against her cheek. His thumb gently wiped a tear away and his expression softened.

“I’m sorry, Marinette.” 

The sense of finality that she felt from his apology was alarming, but she had no idea what to say or how to respond. Her words were caught in her throat and her body refused to do anything else except tremble like a coward. As the quiet whisper of 'cataclysm' passed his lips, she forced her body to move forward, but it was too late. A screamed racked through her entire being as he turned his power toward himself.

Her eyes shot open and she could feel tears sliding across her face, soaking her pillow. Adrien's sleeping figure entered her line of sight and her heart began to settle from the terrifying nightmare. She pushed herself up and watched his peaceful face, a relieved smile crossing her lips. 

Her movements made him stir and he sleepily opened his eyes. He glanced up at her and her name drearily passed his lips. At the sight of her crying face, he sat up.

“What wrong?” He raised a hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks. The contact made her flinch as she remembered him doing the same in her nightmare. She attempted to convince herself that it wasn't real. They had spent the night talking themselves to sleep. She crashed into his body, arms encircling his waist tightly. “…Marinette?”

His voice still sounded tired and she pressed closer to him, listening to the steady beating of his heart. It was a soothing sound, letting her know that he was still there with her, alive and well.

“You’re here.” She pulled away and said shakily, raising her hands to his face to make sure he was indeed real.

“Of course. Where else would I be?” He said with a confused smile. She never felt more grateful to see him. If she could wake up next to him from then on, she wouldn't ask for any more. She brushed the hair from his eyes and peered at him intently. 

“I’m glad you’re here.” Her words ghosted against his skin before their lips met. She held onto him like he was her last life line. She didn’t give thought to anything else. If he had any reservations about their relationship, she didn’t care. She was selfishly going to love him like she was going to lose him. But the way he held onto her and the way he returned her kiss assured her that he felt the same. Within the comfort of his embrace, she settled back down and the two rested peacefully for the rest of the night. 

He quietly left when morning came. No words were spoken between them, just the silent promises of tomorrow. That no matter what happened, they would see each other again the next day.


End file.
